A Community Look

Category: Brazil

The Brazilian agribusiness balance was released for the month of June. Contrary to (for example) the non-farm payroll in America which is released every month to indicate the amount of non-farm-related goods which make up the US economy to gauge economic strength, the Brazilian agribusiness balance represents solely the proportion of money which is created from farmable goods. Year-over-year since last June, Brazil’s figures are down seven tenths of a percent (0.7%), according to Eucatex CEO and Grandfood president Flavio Maluf. Nearly half of all of Brazil’s exports are related to Agriculture, representing 9.21 billion USD, or 45% of the total piece of the export pie. A large percentage of this 9.21 Billion, about 53% in 2018, is due to exports of soy. Read more about Flavio Maluf at Wikipedia.

Flavio would know, after all, because Brazilian business runs in his family and has for decades. His grandfather once owned the largest sawmill in all of South America starting in 1940. His family made their fortune cutting down Eucalyptus trees to make slabs of furniture; they were in fact the first Home Depot products to be offered as environmentally friendly. Flavio was born into a very wealthy and politically savvy family from the results of their Eucalpytus harvesting. Even though Flavio was born into wealth, it was still his decision to carry on a legacy of entrepreneurialism; he could very well have just succumbed to his family’s position and went along for the ride.

Flavio’s advice to anyone wanting to start their own business and become their own boss is that it’s not as easy as it looks, requires massive amounts of dedication, and that you don’t need a lot of starting seed money in order to start a new venture. There are plenty of venture capitalists who are willing to back solid, creative ideas when they come about.

Guilherme Paulus is quite successful by any standards today. To begin with, he owns two of the most significant investments in the Brazilian tourism sector and is listed as one of the wealthiest men in Brazil by Forbes Magazine. This is all self-made, having been born in a low-income family that would not afford to pay his tuition fee to attend Medical school after he completed his high school education. Despite the challenges he was facing he still knew he was smart and had to make something out of his life. Having not realized his college dream he knew that entrepreneurship would be his only way out. It was not however, lost on Guilherme Paulus that in order to achieve this he had to get some capital and this led him to IBM where he worked as an intern. His time here would expose him to the endless possibilities that the world held, but he also came to realize that this was not an industry for him and in order to achieve his dream he had to find one that fit him. This is how he came across an advertisement in the papers for a position at CASA Faro for an airfare salesman. He applied for the job and got it. During his time here, he met Carlos Vicente Cerchiari on one of his official trips. Carlos would become his future business partner. More about of Guilherme Paulus at Bloomberg.

Together the two men established CVC Brasil Operadora e Agência de Viagens S.A. The company was established in 1972 at the time he was 24 years old. Having no money, he chose to offer his expertise and time to acquire his share. In 1976 Carlos left the partnership, leaving the entire operation to Guilherme Paulus. He knew that in order to see CVC Brasil Operadora e Agência de Viagens S.A. grow he had to put in extra efforts despite being young and not having a lot going for him. For the next nine years, he was virtually working without earning anything, and he was barely breaking even. Guilherme Paulus contemplated closing the operation a number of times, but for one reason or the other managed to stay afloat.

It’s not already uncommon to learn about companies in the collections industry that have unethical business practices, decisions and other actions that both damage their clients and themselves. We hear of many agencies that deceive their clients’ assets and don’t honor their promises and deliverables. However, we also hear about companies that deliver quality service and a level of dedication to their clients that cannot be equaled. One of these leading companies today is IC System.

The History of Excellence

We can’t judge a company’s success by picking out just one successful business transaction. This is why we have to trace the history and client relationships of IC system for the past few years to know if the quality service it renders is not just a one-time thing or just a fluke. Fortunately, we can confirm from reliable sources like Release Fact that IC System has helped a lot of big-ticket clients since Ruth and Jack Erickson founded the company in 1938, with its headquarters just outside St. Paul, Minnesota.

There’s a lot of known and sometimes unknowable reasons that can make or break a company, but it’s fair to say that it could be the guiding principle of ethical service and honest delivery of products that make IC system stand out in its business transactions. The constant focus of the company to such guiding principle has also paid off concerning longevity. Right now, IC System has already gone through three generations of new family members of the Erickson clan, and the company has still not lost its touch in prioritizing such company values.

Business By The Books

The experts in business would say that if you risk operating yourself outside the government’s authority, you’re making your company more vulnerable to hidden risks that have the low probability of happening but its damage could cost the survival of the business. What makes IC System impressive in this regard is that it honors such value. The company survives because it is always focusing itself in updating its government licenses and bonds to operate in various states and territories in the United States. This way, every business transaction it’s part of is by the books.

Trabuco means a wide-mouthed shotgun or an ancient war machine that people used to throw large stones. It is a siege weapon that warriors used to crush masonry walls or fire projectile stones over the walls. The weaponry was conventional in the middle ages. Sometimes people refer to it as the balancing trabuco in distinguishing it from the traction trabuco that came before it. Brazilians use trabuco to apply to shotguns or revolvers of a large caliber.

The counterweight blunderbuss in the Mediterranean could launch almost 140 kilograms at high speeds to 800 meters away with considerable accuracy. The trabucos played a role in biological warfare where some of the warriors threw infected bodies to the people under attack in a bid to infect them. China invented trabucos in 400 BC, and Europe acquired them in 600 AD. Trabucos were popular because there was no gunpowder. The ease to manufacture and simple maintenance made trabucos gain popularity. Europeans used trabucos as an efficient and terrifying weapon during Crusades.

The mechanism of operation of trabucos lies in their ability to transform potential energy into kinetic energy. The sling is the basis of action. The machine consists of a giant arm mounted on a base or car. A counterweight pulls the long arm by casting a projectile from its resting point in the sling. The counterweight’s size is directly proportional to the projectile’s velocity. Hence, more massive counterweights meant stronger launch of missiles.

The initial models of trabucos were manual requiring operation by human power. People could move the short end of the beam. However, with the limitations associated with the use of human effort in operating the trabucos, the Middle East people invented the hybrid trabuco. Europeans used the first hybrid trabuco in the times of Crusades. With additional improvements to the hybrid trabuco, the machines could hurl boulders to greater distances with enhanced accuracy.

Currently, trabucos still find application as models for the explanation of mechanics basic principles. Besides people use them as a form of recreation. Teachers use trabucos to explain mechanical principles utilizing the relationship between its operation and the physical calculations of kinetic energy, potential gravitational energy, and potential difference. Read more about Trabuco on infopedia.pt to know more.

Roberto Santiago was born and raised in Joao Pessoa. Contrary to his current outstanding social status, Roberto had to work very hard to get here. At a very tender age, he was forced to work in a company that specialized in cartons. Roberto was not an ordinary employee as he strived to add value in his work.

While at this firm, he was focused on designing card boxes, a role that required him to be a critical thinker and quite precise. He would later move from manufacturing of cartons to real estate industry where he embarked on property development. It was this last career move in real estate that would see him become the man he is today.

Prior to starting his career, Roberto went through schooling where he excelled. After completing his college studies in Pio X- Marist, he enrolled for a bachelors degree in Business Administration in University Centre of Joao Pessoa. At this point, he sharpened his managerial skills which would be very pivotal in his future career path of property development.

Indeed, this was put in practice when he purchased a very strategic piece of land in 1987. Within two years, Roberto had come up with a well-thought idea on developing the property; a shopping mall! By 1989 therefore, Manaira Shopping Mall was set-up, making it one of the most magnificent malls in the entire of Brazil!

The mall has been built with the current state of art, making it the center for all family needs; may it entertainment, dining, banking services, physical fitness or general household shopping. The mall is designed to offer you a one-stop shop and also a variety in your selection. This way, you are assured of getting the very best qualities from different sources, and all under one roof!

For instance, you can make a stop with your family for some quality and affordable furniture. On your way out, you can pass by the Sports gear shop and pick something to spice up your fitness program. You will come across several book stores where you can pause for your best writer’s latest edition.

You will find several clothing stores offering different lines of wears, all branded and of high quality. You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to jewelry and cosmetics. You can also check on your school work at the College of Higher Education of Paraiba which is situated within the Manaira shopping mall.

At the end of it all, you can as well treat yourself to a sumptuous meal before relaxing to a nice movie in the well-built and furnished theatre. In other words, while in Roberto Santiago Manaira shopping Mall, you will be spoilt for choices in the things that can engage you all day long!

Luiz Carlos Trabuco has become a powerful person among Brazilian financial figures with his leadership at the major bank of Bradesco and he is well-known nationally. He has developed deep financial skills with his tremendous range of experience in the bank where he served at major divisions to gain a full understanding of their business and culture. His entire career has been spent at the bank and he is only the fourth CEO to ever hold the position illustrating his remarkable rise to prominence.

Trabuco, as he is best known, made education a priority in his life when he attended the University of São Paulo, where he graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, Science, and Letters. This was an unorthodox path for such a highly ranked financial figure, but it did illustrate his propensity for learning and assimilating difficult concepts of which the financial world is awash in them.

Starting in 1969, Trabuco served Bradesco as a clerk in his hometown branch of Marília, which also happens to be the location of their founding. This gave him an opportunity to interact with ordinary clientele and learn firsthand how to achieve excellent customer service. It would pay dividends in his later managerial posts and would give him the knowledge and insights of their clientele to support appropriate programs.

Luiz Carlos Trabuco made his mark when he led the marketing efforts of Bradesco in two different ways. The first was his initiation of a relationship with the financial media to increase their exposure in the public eye. He modernized their communications in so doing and this was a first in the history of the bank. Prior to this reform, they hadn’t had any contact with the media and no publicity whatsoever.

Trabuco came into his own as an executive who was going places with his performance at Bradesco’s Insurance division which he led from 2003-2009. The outsized performance gains that accrued during this time was what put him into the frontrunner position to be the next CEO. During his leadership, Bradesco Seguros doubled in size and consolidated the company’s market leadership in this segment throughout Brazil and Latin America. Trabuco was named twice as the Insurance Personality of the Year for his efforts.

Highly placed executives at Bradesco concurred that Trabuco would be a wise choice to lead the bank when Márcio Cypriano stepped down. Additionally, other leading financial figures from outside of the company agreed that he was a natural choice for the position with his considerable knowledge and understanding of their business culture. In 2009 Luiz Carlos Trabuco was appointed to the CEO job by their board of directors.

A return to organic growth has been the chief characteristic of Trabuco’s tenure as CEO and their number of account holders has increased remarkably from 20 million to 27 million. He also believes that this avenue to grow the business will remain substantial for many years to come and the forecast for the future is very positive.

Perhaps the greatest milestone of Trabuco’s career was the purchase by Bradesco of the Brazilian branch of HSBC in 2015. This was the largest deal of its type during that year and it earned Trabuco a prestigious award from Isto É Dinheiro Magazine. He was declared to be the Entrepreneur of the Year in Finance for his role in this noteworthy deal. Luiz Carlos Trabuco has received tremendous accolades during his career and continues to lead Bradesco today.

The career of Alexandre Gama can be seen as nothing short of spectacular in terms of the position he has reached as a respected advertising creative and executive remains almost unmatched on a global scale. Alexandre Gama remains an active member of the Brazilian advertising community after his career began in 1982 as a writer who went on to become one of the most awarded creatives in the history of the nation. After achieving his advertising success, Alexandre Gama has looked to become more involved in business activities around the globe and has indulged his own loved of motorsports with an investment in the Liverpool, U.K. based BAC brand. The love of Brazil is clear to see in the life of Alexandre Gama, who fears the loss of Brazilian cultural traditions and has established his own foundation in a bid to make sure the Brazilian guitar playing tradition survives through the coming decades.